What heals a hepatologist? Hepatology is a section of medicine that studies the liver, gallbladder, bile ducts

Diseases of the liver and bile ducts are all that the hepatologist treats, which is a necessary and especially important health worker. Usually, the patient rarely comes for help to such a specialist individually. To this doctor, as a rule, sends the gastroenterologist or the therapist.

When you need to contact a hepatologist

The liver is considered a rather special organ, which, in essence, needs the assistance of a narrow professional. Often, a gastroenterologist can not give an accurate conclusion, because the diagnosis of liver disease is complicated by other ailments of the abdominal cavity. The hepatologist will already ask certain questions to the patient about his symptoms, make an examination and give directions to the necessary studies. To make an appointment with a doctor, follow these symptoms:

• loss of appetite;
• Itching;
• Decreased weight;
• Constant intoxication;
• Pain in the liver;
• Dark circles under the eyes;
• Increased body temperature;
• Change in the color of urine to brown;
• Color of feces - light brown;
• Poor sleep;
• Yellowing of the eyeballs and mucous membranes.

Also it is worth considering, if the patient has noticed these signs in time and correctly reacted to them, then in most cases, a favorable course of the disease is possible.

Some indicators of ailments

Peculiar masculine symptoms, probably indicative of problems with the liver, are an increase in the stomach, which begins to resemble a "beer barrel", and a decrease in sexual functioning. Women have mammary glands. And it follows that the hepatologist heals the liver.

Patients with cirrhosis of this organ still suffer from bleeding and swelling of the gums, the appearance of chronic pain in the abdominal cavity, as well as some absentmindedness, inability to focus attention on work or other lengthy workouts because of the endless feeling of general fatigue.

Often, in the early stages of liver disease, patients simply ignore the above characteristics. However, if the state of fatigue continues for a week or more, and the stomach also hurts, then you need to immediately make an appointment with a doctor.

How to prepare for a specialist visit

This medical officer must carefully understand all the indicators of the patient, get acquainted with his life and work activities. It is necessary to take into account all the patient's ailments (in particular, the viral form), to determine chronic illnesses, to study the medications used by the patient (in particular those that are applied on the advice of friends or relatives). There are certain stages of preparation for a conversation with a doctor.

1. You need to take a shower, and wear clean clothes.
2. Take with them the findings of research and past medical examinations.
3. Do not eat for 5-7 hours before the consultation to perform liver examinations, as well as other organs.
4. It is forbidden to take alcohol (even minimally), fatty, fried and salty foods (this mostly affects the onset of liver function disorders).
5. We need to prepare a medical card.

Consultation of the hepatologist

At the reception, the doctor will necessarily ask about the presence of symptoms and listen to all the patient's complaints. In addition, the expert will perform a palpation study to detect superficial impairments of liver function, if any. Also, the hepatologist can prescribe tests and, if necessary, suggest the patient to go to the hospital for a special examination. Another doctor will give instructions on the way of life and prescribes medicines.

Analyzes and examinations

The doctor-hepatologist appoints researches depending on a condition of the patient. They can be those:

• Ultrasound of the liver;
• Encephalography;
• Computed tomography of the abdominal cavity ;
• Blood analysis and biochemistry;
• Examination of urine;
• Puncture liver biopsy ;
• hemoglobin;
• A test for the detection of viruses and their effectiveness.

Specific examinations prescribed by a hepatologist are esophagoscopy (examination of the esophagus by means of an auxiliary tube), as well as colonoscopy (rectal examination with a colonoscope). All the above diagnostics will help you to know the health status of the whole body and liver.

To date, "advanced" patients already know that one should not go to the doctor without the results of the main tests.

Study "liver profile"

To determine liver diseases, you need to make this special blood test for biochemistry, which will reveal the level:

• Bilirubin (increases with jaundice - a disorder of bile flow);
• Aspartate aminotransferase (the leading catalyst produced by liver erythrocytes, the work of which is directly connected with inflammatory development in the organ);
• Alanine aminotransferase (a hepatic enzyme whose level rises with cirrhosis of the liver);
• Presence of C-reactive protein (its detection in tissue destruction can be confirmed by cirrhosis itself);
• Gamma-glutamyltransferase (a protein produced by the liver and sensibly rising in the blood with a systematic and prolonged use of alcohol).

The doctor-hepatologist usually appoints to hand over the analysis of a blood on an empty stomach since morning. 2 hours before the test, you should not drink coffee, tea or juice, chew gum and smoke. It is also important to avoid alcohol intake 3 days before the test, exclude large physical exertion and overstrain.

What heals a hepatologist

Knowing the symptoms of the patient, the specialist establishes a diagnosis and prescribes further therapy. The doctor deals with the treatment of such diseases as:

• Cholangitis;
• Enterovirus hepatitis;
• Cirrhosis;
• jaundice;
• Gilbert's syndrome ;
• Cholelithiasis;
• Hemochromatosis;
• Infectious mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr's disease);
• Hepatitis C and B (chronic and acute);
• Leptospirosis (Weil-Vasiliev disease);
• Fatty hepatosis;
• Toxoplasmosis (carry rodents).

The most popular liver diseases

A little earlier it was a question of what the hepatologist is treating, but now you can find out what exactly the main liver ailments people are most often sick with.

The liver in the human body produces the function of the determining laboratory, the organ of blood and digestion. Directly its productivity is combined with other organs and the entire system of the human body. The manifestations of its defeat are also innumerable, diverse and atypical. Often such indicators of the disease are hidden under others, and the patient with a delay resorts to the services of a medical worker.

Which diseases affect the liver most of all? Specialists distinguish 3 ailments:

• Cirrhosis;
• hepatitis;
• cholecystitis.

Cirrhosis of the liver

It is considered the most serious and serious disease - it can tell any doctor-hepatologist. Moscow is precisely the city where various measures are being taken to treat this ailment.

Usually cirrhosis is formed as a result of the long use of alcoholic beverages, when the body no longer copes with the excretion of poisons. However, not completely healed hepatitis can also bring to cirrhosis. Instead of healthy hepatic red blood cells, which are constantly restored, so-called connective matter is formed. It can not, because of its structure, make those appointments that are placed on the liver. The organism in this connection starts to give essential failures.

Hepatitis

From such a disease can be saved, if you follow the minimum conditions of hygiene and also do not drink dirty liquid. Hepatitis is an inflammatory malaise: a virus enters the body, which causes the disease. Another disease can be formed due to alcohol intake. About it with confidence can tell any surgeon-hepatologist. Incorrect use of some medications is also capable of provoking hepatitis (a strong poisoning of the body occurs).

Cholecystitis

This ailment usually appears as a result of inflammation of the gallbladder. Also in the body there is a metabolic disorder, the bile ducts are clogged, and as a result of bile retention, inflammation increases.

What is the price of a consultation in Russia?

A visit to a hepatologist in the capital on average will cost approximately 2500-3000 rubles. Follow-up therapy and its cost should already be coordinated with the expert at the reception. It is also worth noting that hepatologists are considered doctors of a rare profession, and that's why they determine the prices for treatment on their own. And as a children's hepatologist, and an adult for today will treat an average person quite expensive.

Hepatologist advice

1. To prevent hepatitis C and B, do not use tap water, unwashed fruits and vegetables.
2. Do not forget that you should always wash your hands before meals and after going to the toilet.
3. You can not lead a sex life without a condom with a partner suffering from hepatitis of any group, and also resort to anal sex. Or when there are critical days for a woman.
4. You should wear protective goggles (for example, a surgeon, a dentist or a medical laboratory assistant) before starting work, because infected blood, penetrating the eye's mucous membrane, instantly exposes the hepatitis virus.
5. If the patient is sick with cirrhosis of the liver, then he needs to control the systematic nature of the stool, which should be twice a day.
6. Still the hepatologist, reviews about which patients leave, can recommend to watch volumes of the drunk and the deduced liquid. If less is used, and more is released, then it is required to urgently consult a doctor.

The general preventive maintenance of liver and bile duct disorders is a diet with a reduced content of fatty, spicy, roasted, and little alcoholic drinks or their total absence (except for red wine - 1 glass every 7 days).